Reds defy CRPF chief, blow up Bihar buildings

Two separate groups of the CPI (Maoist) late on Wednesday blew up eight government buildings, including six in Aurangabad district, to protest the killing of some of their top leaders at Chatra on March 28 by their rival faction, the Trititya Prastuti Committee (TPC). However, no casualty was reported, as no one was present in the buildings.

Two separate groups of the CPI (Maoist) late on Wednesday blew up eight government buildings, including six in Aurangabad district, to protest the killing of some of their top leaders at Chatra on March 28 by their rival faction, the Trititya Prastuti Committee (TPC). However, no casualty was reported, as no one was present in the buildings.

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The action was widely read as a show of defiance towards the presence in Patna of CRPF director general Pranay Sahay, who was visiting the state to review anti-Naxal operations.

The extremists left behind handbills at both the places of occurrence, reiterating that the CPI (Maoist) would not tolerate TPC-police nexus.

Maoists claimed that the government had attempted to station 285 CoBRA battalion force in six government quarters, which were under renovation. One of these housed 14 flats.

“The rebels apprehended that the buildings could be used against them as they had been vacant for a long time. Extremists also knew that during transit or operations, the paramilitary forces used government buildings. These abandoned buildings give them an advantage and the rebels wanted to neutralise it,” said an officer in the police headquarters.

In the first incident, over 100 ultras used dynamites and can bombs to blow up six buildings of the water resources department at Misirbigha village, which is barely one km away from Deo police station and about 18km from Aurangabad district headquarters.

On getting information about the incident, superintendent of police (SP) Daljeet Singh and SDPO Ajay Narayan Yadav rushed to the spot with reinforcements and inquired about the incident.

During search operations, police found a live can bomb, which was planted in one of the buildings. Police later defused the bomb.

Singh said the police had launched an intensive combing operation in the hilly areas of the district bordering Jharkhand. Locals told the police that the rebels continued their operation till 1am of Thursday.

Another group of Maoists also demolished two government buildings, including a panchayat bhawan, at about the same time at Bhisondah village under Chandra Mandi police station in Jamui district.

Jamui SP Dipak Barnwal confirmed the incident, stating that unidentified rebels had demolished the government buildings with the help of JCB machines.